British Flowers Week

Today is the start of British Flowers Week, an annual celebration of flowers grown in the UK, with events taking place all over the country. Take a look at the beautiful dress made out of larkspur blooms by Zita Elze on britishflowersweek.com

June is my favourite month to be in the garden, the growth is fresh and lush and I am full of optimism!

Vegetables that were barely visible a few short weeks ago

suddenly look like a promising crop.

But the asparagus season is already over, we could always eat far more than I manage to grow.

The potted citrus trees have been put outside for the summer.

I sprinkle white foxglove seeds all about the garden. They often pop up in unexpected places and sometimes the bees have pollinated them from the wild foxgloves in the woods and I have to pull up shades of pink and red and put them on the compost heap.

It's lovely to walk around the garden at the end of the day.

This morning I was busy with the shears trimming the bay and box and rosemary.

But the month of June is really all about roses.

Here are Constance Spry and Charles de Mills - what a pair! (Actually, Charlie boy is a bit of a thug unless his roots are controlled.)

Everywhere I look there are roses.

The bees are happy.

Pascali

A rather scruffy Cinderella.

The Queen of Denmark

Charles Rennie Mackintosh

Gertrude Jekyll

Raubritter

Rosa Mundi

Charles de Mills

Plenty to pick in celebration of British Flowers Week.

This morning's sunrise

for Skywatch Friday.

(Then I went back to bed!)

Drum roll

Ever since we've known Steve he's been a drummer, his fingers moving on the chair arm as we sit and chat, on the table at suppertime, or, failing all else, tapping out a rhythm on his knee. But now he's joined a band (and it's given him a good excuse to go out and buy a better drum kit!) Although our children are musical and have sometimes played with Steve I don't play an instrument and am incapable of holding a tune. All that's left for me to be is a groupie. Okay, I can do that!
The band was invited to play on a Sunday afternoon at a pub on Portishead Quay and Himself and I went along to stomp our feet and make encouraging audience responses. It was a lovely day and plenty of people were sitting outside enjoying the sunshine.

We, however, were inside.

1. 2. 3...

blow that thing!

This little girl was most appreciative.

She couldn't stop dancing.

Phew, but it's rather hard work!

The band made a great sound and it was a lot of fun. When they had packed up their kit we all went back to one of the band members homes for supper. (Steve didn't rap  on the table, he'd done his bit for the day!) We sat and ate in the garden overlooking the estuary.

It's a magical place.

The tide was out and the sun was warm.

A perfect evening.

Aaah, what a lovely time we had!

Thank you so much musicians and hostess.